Interlude 3
| previous = Agitation 3.12 | next = Shell 4.1 }} 3.x (Interlude; Wards) is the thirteenth chapter and only Interlude of Agitation. Aftermath of the Battle at the Bank for the Wards. Contentious debriefing, Gallant names Skitter during info session, Panacea helps out and gets a talking to. Plot The chapter begins with a description of the building housing the Brockton Bay PRT division. Director Piggot meets Aegis, Gallant, Kid Win, Vista, Browbeat and Clockblocker in the lobby of the Brockton Bay PRT headquarters. They move to a meeting room before talking. Piggot notes Aegis' injuries, with "some of the wounds nearly a foot across". Aegis even starts to stick his hand through his chest, but Piggot stops him. Piggot then reprimands Gallant for calling Glory Girl to help without her say-so, therefore putting any damages she caused on his shoulders. Rather than fine just Gallant, she docks every Wards' pay, because Gallant is able to afford the fine. She also reprimands Kid Win for using his Alternator Cannon without first officially clearing it through military and science teams. Kid Win is allowed to keep the Cannon, but the power source is confiscated, and the weapon has to go through the "standard review process for all Tinker created material". Kid Win is taken for a disciplinary review, and the rest of the Wards depart to debrief the battle. They ride a Tinker designed elevator down to their headquarters, where Clockblocker enters by scanning his eye, as Aegis fears his own retina might be detached. When the group enters, Aegis leaves to take a shower and patch himself up. Shadow Stalker is revealed to have been too far away to make it to the battle, which is going to annoy her as she has a "hate-on" for Grue. The remaining heroes discuss the Undersiders, writing up the cape names and known info on two portable whiteboards. They name "bug girl" "Skitter", deciding not to stick her with a bad name so as not to look like "we got our asses kicked by someone called Maggot.” Notes taken: *Grue's power isn't just darkness. "You can’t hear in there either. And it feels strange too," -Browbeat *Bitch, or Hellhound as the Wards call her, trains her dogs, rather than mind control. -Vista *Skitter is the opposite. "She has a lot of fine control over bugs". She can also "sense things through her bugs". -Clockblocker More notes are taken but not shown, enough for Gallant to use the back of the whiteboards. Aegis returns from the showers, revealing himself to be stitched up, and adds his input to the whiteboards. After "an abrasive noise from the computer as every monitor suddenly flashed yellow", the Wards put on their masks. Armsmaster and Miss Militia enter, along with Panacea, who is wearing a ID card with "GUEST" written on it. Panacea is here to heal up the Wards before they return home. Gallant lies about maybe having a punctured lung in order to have a private conversation with Panacea about the emotions he's sensing off her. Panacea tells him about the enormous pressure she receives from her powers, the mask she has to maintain to get through it all and keep healing. But the "telepaths", i.e. Gallant and Tattletale, force her to "confront it all". The only one who truly knows Panacea is her adopted sister. Glory Girl, her other family members are comparatively distant. Gallant asks whether this has anything to do with Panacea's 'strong' feelings towards him. Panacea freezes up, and Gallant offers to help her at anytime. The Interlude ends with Panacea picking up a whiteboard marker and preparing to write on Tattletale's empty column. Major Events *Wards get a stern talking to from the PRT Director. *Gallant has a micro-intervention with Panacea hopefully to help her more later.idannadi: Gallant is also pretty much the worst empath ever, but he knows that Amy really hates him deep down. Wildbow: Gallant knew, he was aware of where Amy was at and where she was going. He also knew that pushing her too hard or too fast would end in disaster. He gently raises the subject, she reacts badly, he backs off. She avoids him, he continues to act friendly in the hopes that when things start getting bad, she can get past her jealousy of him and reach out. He couldn't read minds, but he could get enough of a sense of where she was emotionally to plot that out pretty damn well. He plants the seed, he offers his help, but then the city gets chaotic and busy and Amy is off helping people who were affected by Bakuda's bombs and he's patrolling the streets and off doing jobs and they only see each other in passing. - Convo on Reddit Trivia *The name Skitter was thought up on the spot, it turned out well. Characters Site Navigation Category:Chapters Category:Interlude Chapters